20 West Adams Street

[thelakelander]

The DIA approved this project:

The Downtown Investment Authority approved a deal that will send $1.2 million to construct student housing in Downtown for Florida State College at Jacksonville.

The 104-year-old Lerner building at 20 W. Adams St. needs renovations estimated by owner Eugene Profit to cost $6.2 million. Profit, a former NFL player, also owns 100 E. Bay Street, whose main tenant is Peterbrooke Chocolatier.

http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2015/11/18/dia-approves-fscjs-proposed-west-adams-street.html

[RattlerGator]

Dorms for 60 students?

Sigh.

We need UNF to build a big-azz dorm downtown -- they've been very conservative with the growth of their university, especially when you compare that to USF, UCF, FAU and FIU. That's not a criticism; it has led to a distinctive campus and university. But it's time for some creative, urban thinking to complement what they've done on campus.

FSCJ can never supply a vital boost of young students for downtown. They just can't.

UNF can. Do a joint project with UF; offer housing to their Pharmacy and Health Science Center students. Whatever, however; we need UNF downtown.

http://jacksonville.com/opinion/ron-littlepage/2014-10-03/story/ron-littlepage-downtown-campus-would-benefit-unf-and-city

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/education/os-ucf-downtown-campus-update-20150924-story.html

The building would have classrooms for nearly 4,000 UCF students and about 350 Valencia students studying fields such as social work, health information technology, health sciences and legal studies.

UCF also seeks to build a 300-bed dormitory and a 600-space parking garage, using bonds to build the structures and paying them off with parking fees and housing revenue.

FSCJ 60 beds vs UCF 300 beds? Come on; UNF can do that. There's no way in hell UNF can't do that.

[thelakelander]

Got to start somewhere. SCAD didn't start off their redevelopment of Savannah with a huge dorm. It's been a decades long process to get to where they are today. No reason holding our hopes out for one school that isn't interested in building dorms miles away from their core campus.

[RattlerGator]

Ennis . . . SCAD wasn't a 2-year college at its inception, was it? It's maddening to hear you and Stephen talking about FSCJ dorms downtown. I doubt you can find any example anywhere in the nation where a 2-year college has accomplished the task we're addressing.

The fact that UNF hasn't seen the light doesn't mean they won't see the light but we can be certain FSCJ can't get it done even if they try.

Hell, maybe we should be trying to focus more on UF and their professional students if UNF remains intransigent. Two different Jacksonville outfits (Brasfield & Gorrie construction company; Signet Development) are involved with a public-private dorm being built at UF:

http://www.schoolconstructionnews.com/articles/2015/02/12/university-florida-residence-support-entrepreneurs

An entrepreneurial-based academic residence community, Infinity Hall is the result of a public-private partnership between the university and the Jacksonville office of Shanghai-based real estate development and construction management firm Signet Development. Through a services and affiliation agreement with the University of Florida, Signet Development will develop, finance, own and manage Infinity Hall, representing the first privatized development within the 40-acre community known as Innovation Square.

One way or the other we need a university-affiliated dorm downtown.

[Tacachale]

Dorms for 60 students?

Sigh.

We need UNF to build a big-azz dorm downtown -- they've been very conservative with the growth of their university, especially when you compare that to USF, UCF, FAU and FIU. That's not a criticism; it has led to a distinctive campus and university. But it's time for some creative, urban thinking to complement what they've done on campus.

FSCJ can never supply a vital boost of young students for downtown. They just can't.

UNF can. Do a joint project with UF; offer housing to their Pharmacy and Health Science Center students. Whatever, however; we need UNF downtown.

http://jacksonville.com/opinion/ron-littlepage/2014-10-03/story/ron-littlepage-downtown-campus-would-benefit-unf-and-city

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/education/os-ucf-downtown-campus-update-20150924-story.html

The building would have classrooms for nearly 4,000 UCF students and about 350 Valencia students studying fields such as social work, health information technology, health sciences and legal studies.

UCF also seeks to build a 300-bed dormitory and a 600-space parking garage, using bonds to build the structures and paying them off with parking fees and housing revenue.

FSCJ 60 beds vs UCF 300 beds? Come on; UNF can do that. There's no way in hell UNF can't do that.

UNF is focused on other things besides numeric growth. The focus for the last ten years has been building up our programs and standards while keeping class sizes low. That can't be done while cultivating explosive growth like UCF has done, at least not for a long time. And either way, we'd just be duplicating the successes of other universities all across the state, rather than finding our own.

[Tacachale]

Ennis . . . SCAD wasn't a 2-year college at its inception, was it? It's maddening to hear you and Stephen talking about FSCJ dorms downtown. I doubt you can find any example anywhere in the nation where a 2-year college has accomplished the task we're addressing.

The fact that UNF hasn't seen the light doesn't mean they won't see the light but we can be certain FSCJ can't get it done even if they try.

Hell, maybe we should be trying to focus more on UF and their professional students if UNF remains intransigent. Two different Jacksonville outfits (Brasfield & Gorrie construction company; Signet Development) are involved with a public-private dorm being built at UF:

http://www.schoolconstructionnews.com/articles/2015/02/12/university-florida-residence-support-entrepreneurs

An entrepreneurial-based academic residence community, Infinity Hall is the result of a public-private partnership between the university and the Jacksonville office of Shanghai-based real estate development and construction management firm Signet Development. Through a services and affiliation agreement with the University of Florida, Signet Development will develop, finance, own and manage Infinity Hall, representing the first privatized development within the 40-acre community known as Innovation Square.

One way or the other we need a university-affiliated dorm downtown.

Off the top of my head, De Anza College and Foothill College in Santa Clara County, California have had a massive impact in the growth of not only their communities, but Silicon Valley as a whole.

[thelakelander]

Ennis . . . SCAD wasn't a 2-year college at its inception, was it? It's maddening to hear you and Stephen talking about FSCJ dorms downtown. I doubt you can find any example anywhere in the nation where a 2-year college has accomplished the task we're addressing.

Things can evolve over time. FAMU and BCU didn't start off as 4-year schools either. SCAD opened in 1978 with a total of 71 students. It didn't crack 2,000 until 1989. FSCJ is no longer a traditional 2 year community college.

FSCJ offers bachelor degrees in Biomedical Sciences, Business Administration, Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications, Converged Communications, Digital Media, Early Childhood Education, Financial Services, Human Services, Information Technology Management,  Logistics, Nursing, Public Safety Management and Supervision and Management. 

If they want to develop their downtown campus to offer their students the perks of a traditional college campus, why not facilitate such a development? Might as well work immediately with an institution that is already in place that also wants to expand, as opposed to ignoring them and holding out hope for schools with other priorities that are clearly not interested.

[CCMjax]

Ennis . . . SCAD wasn't a 2-year college at its inception, was it? It's maddening to hear you and Stephen talking about FSCJ dorms downtown. I doubt you can find any example anywhere in the nation where a 2-year college has accomplished the task we're addressing.

The fact that UNF hasn't seen the light doesn't mean they won't see the light but we can be certain FSCJ can't get it done even if they try.

Hell, maybe we should be trying to focus more on UF and their professional students if UNF remains intransigent. Two different Jacksonville outfits (Brasfield & Gorrie construction company; Signet Development) are involved with a public-private dorm being built at UF:

http://www.schoolconstructionnews.com/articles/2015/02/12/university-florida-residence-support-entrepreneurs

An entrepreneurial-based academic residence community, Infinity Hall is the result of a public-private partnership between the university and the Jacksonville office of Shanghai-based real estate development and construction management firm Signet Development. Through a services and affiliation agreement with the University of Florida, Signet Development will develop, finance, own and manage Infinity Hall, representing the first privatized development within the 40-acre community known as Innovation Square.

One way or the other we need a university-affiliated dorm downtown.

Calm down RG, they are renovating an old building downtown that is part of Jax's history, we should all be thanking FSCJ.  And it is a nice start, there is opportunity for other institutions to do something in the future.  Don't whine about someone doing something downtown because you don't think it's big enough.  It is a project that appears to be proceeding so I'm supportive of it. 

I'm with you on UF, I've said this before, it would be great to have a satellite campus or building housing something affiliated with UF downtown.  There is a huge UF Health system here in Jax with the main trauma center being a few blocks from downtown and the large new campus out by the airport and they plan to add additional phases to that one.  So perhaps there is a better chance UF with do something downtown rather than UNF, but who knows.

[RattlerGator]

Yeah, I understand all of that. I don't think I'm whining or complaining about what FSCJ is doing -- I'm obviously all for it. It simply can't do what UNF or UF could do, as residential institutions. I'm very familiar with our K-20 educational system. FSCJ isn't a residential institution and will never be that. To bring up FAMU or BCU at the turn of last century is a non-starter. They can assist, like Valencia is doing in Orlando. Okay. And Tacachale, I seriously doubt if those California institutions earned the acclaim you just gave them but I'll check it out.

[thelakelander]

How about UNF? It opened in 1972 but didn't become a 4-year school until 1984. 30 years later and the RattlerGators of MJ believe them opening a dorm in downtown is the game changer. FSCJ became a state college in 2009. Now they want to incrementally transform their downtown campus into a traditional college campus that includes students living in downtown. This is nothing to look down on. There's a benefit of students living in downtown, regardless of whether they are enrolled at UNF, EWC, FCSL, JU or FSCJ. They all sleep, eat, shit and put their clothes on the same way. They all occupy restored buildings the same way. They all spend money the same way. Who knows where this story ends up 10, 20, 30 years from now?  If UF and UNF one day decides to invest in DT Jax....great. In the meantime, keep on growing and investing FSCJ!

[ProjectMaximus]

Yeah, I understand all of that. I don't think I'm whining or complaining about what FSCJ is doing -- I'm obviously all for it. It simply can't do what UNF or UF could do, as residential institutions. I'm very familiar with our K-20 educational system. FSCJ isn't a residential institution and will never be that. To bring up FAMU or BCU at the turn of last century is a non-starter. They can assist, like Valencia is doing in Orlando. Okay. And Tacachale, I seriously doubt if those California institutions earned the acclaim you just gave them but I'll check it out.

You understand why FSCJ and many other community colleges in FL have been given State College designation, right? It's because the state had guaranteed all 4-year degree programs to graduates of community colleges, but the burden on our state universities had become such that they could no longer meet this obligation. Therefore, most of the students pursuing 4-year degree programs are actually traditional students seeking a traditional college experience. Now FSCJ is seeking to better meet some of that demand.   

[CG7]

It sounds good to me. My son just started FSCJ this fall, and the plan is for him to earn his bachelors in Human Services for FSCJ.
He practically lives at Chamblin's now, so I would be very interested in him having the "college" experience in a dorm room downtown. He thinks it would be awesome.

[acme54321]

Have any other community colleges in the state done this before?  If FSCJ is on the front of this they could be on to something and may be able to shift their demographics to more of a traditional college experience.  It seems like that would be great for the school and downtown as a whole.  I would imagine if this project is successful they may pursue others downtown too.

[Tacachale]

Yeah, I understand all of that. I don't think I'm whining or complaining about what FSCJ is doing -- I'm obviously all for it. It simply can't do what UNF or UF could do, as residential institutions. I'm very familiar with our K-20 educational system. FSCJ isn't a residential institution and will never be that. To bring up FAMU or BCU at the turn of last century is a non-starter. They can assist, like Valencia is doing in Orlando. Okay. And Tacachale, I seriously doubt if those California institutions earned the acclaim you just gave them but I'll check it out.

De Anza is located in Cupertino, home to a little company called Apple, and has been an influence on its growth since the beginning. Steve Wozniak went there (as did Steve Jobs, early enrollment I believe). The De Anza-Foothill system is seen as a leading light in workforce education, anticipating and meeting the needs of the community, and preparing students for university education. A good number of its students (I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I remember it being substantially higher than average) get snapped up by companies after just two years. De Anza is one of the biggest employers in Cupertino. Apple launched the original Macintosh, the iMac, and the iPhone 6 at the college.

[ProjectMaximus]

Have any other community colleges in the state done this before?  If FSCJ is on the front of this they could be on to something and may be able to shift their demographics to more of a traditional college experience.  It seems like that would be great for the school and downtown as a whole.  I would imagine if this project is successful they may pursue others downtown too.

There are several other converted state colleges that offer dorms. Last time I looked (about 6-9 months ago) I think I found three state colleges with dorms or plans for them and even one community college as well. No idea if they were part of downtown revitalization (doubtful)